Bad Dreams
by Shell-Shocked-NinjaTurtleGal
Summary: Leo was never fond of nightmares. But while his brothers always had him to turn to, Leo has no one. So he does the only thing he can: he trains to keep his mind far from his nightmares. He never expected for Raph to stumble upon him, nor did he expect for his younger brother to help him get over his bad dream. No tcest. 2k14 verse!


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**You know the drill by now!: Japanese term translations at the bottom of the story, disclaimer on my profile page! If anyone in the story is OOC, please tell me how I can improve writing them!**

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><p>Leo hated nightmares. While his brothers could always come to him, he had no one to go to himself.<p>

That was why he was now in the dojo, running vigorously through katas. His green skin was drenched with sweat, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. His blue eyes were bright, lips set in a thin line.

The room was lit with flickering fluorescent lights, and he scent of his brothers and dad were calming to the blue-clad terrapin (that was partially why he was in the dojo, after all). Nearby, a stick of incense that he had lit burned, the smoke curling and twisting in the air, its spicy scent aiding in soothing Leo's frayed nerves.

"Leo? What're ya doin'?"

The blue-banded turtle looked up in alarm, surprised to see Raph standing in the dojo's entryway, leaning on the frame of the sliding rice-paper door. The younger terrapin had abandoned his bandana, weapons, and his knee and elbow pads earlier as to sleep comfortably. His emerald eyes were clouded with fatigue, showing he had only just woken a minute or so before.

Leo breathed a sigh, turning to fully face his brother.

"Raph. Why are you up?"

"I jus' asked you tha'. 'S somethin' wrong?" The tall terrapin asked. Leo managed to fake a smile, ignoring the exhaustion that wracked at his mind.

"_Genki desu, otouto_. Go back to bed." He said softly, blue eyes gentle.

Raph frowned, and instead of leaving, fully entered the dojo. Leo bit the inside of his cheek nervously, returning to training. The younger of the two leaned on a nearby wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Don' even try lyin', Leo. I know ya too well fer tha' t' work."

"I never said I was lying." Leo replied, stepping forward and punching at thin air.

It was odd to not hear the familiar, soft clatter of his wooden chest-plate piece on his plastron as he moved, but he'd discarded it before he'd gone to bed earlier that night.

And so everything was perfectly quiet for a long few minutes. Finally, though, Raph broke the silence.

"So ya gonna tell me wha's goin' on?"

Leo's face remained impassive.

"Nothing's going on, Raph." A block, followed by a strike. "I just couldn't sleep."

"I jus' told ya t' not lie." Raph said sharply, frown deepening.

Leo winced, but hid it well and continued with his katas.

"And like _I_ just said, I'm not."

Raph snorted, green eyes following the older turtle.

"Yer either a bad liar, 'r yer in denial."

Leo chuckled, a smile pulling at his lips, mirth shining in his eyes.

"Is that so?" He replied, voice level and calm, as if they were talking about the weather.

With a huff, Raph uncrossed his arms, pushing off of the wall and striding over, pausing only a few paces away from Leo.

"Yeah. So jus' save yer breath an' tell me why th' shell yer trainin' at one in th' mornin'." He pointed an accusing finger at Leo. "I was in slumba' land 'til th' sound of ya movn' 'round down here woke me up!"

"_Gomenasai_."

"I don' want a frickin' apology!" Raph growled. "I want an answer!"

For a moment, Leo was still, staring at the wall opposite him. He then sighed.

"I had a nightmare."

Raph was caught off guard. He hadn't expected the answer to be that.

"A nightmare?"

Leo inclined his head, continuing with the kata, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"That's right."

Raph looked completely dumbfounded. He'd never considered that Leo could have nightmares, but then again, he hadnt ever heard his brother complain of any, so he'd simply assumed...

Yet Leo had always shouldered his own burdens without a single complaint to his brothers or their dad, so this shouldn't have been a surprise.

Well, he couldn't just leave his brother to exhaust himself. What did Leo always do when they were kids, and Mikey, Don or Raph himself had a nightmare? It had been so long ago that the hot-headed turtle had to wrack his brain for a long few seconds.

"Ya wanna talk 'bout it?" He finally asked.

Leo froze mid-block, eyes widening. His gaze quickly turned to his immediate younger brother, confusion and alarm in his gaze.

"W-What..?"

Raph looked away, slightly embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks darkening slightly, and he scowled.

"Ya heard me. I ain' gonna repeat myself."

Leo slowly dropped his stance, arms falling to his sides. He turned, looking at the smoke that curled and danced above the burning incense. He moved over, grabbing a nearby towel and beginning to while the sweat from his face and arms. When he didn't reply right away, Raph sighed, grabbing his brother's arm.

"C'mon."

Leo looked alarmed, dropping the towel, stammering incoherant words as his tall brother pulled him out of the dojo and to the livingroom. Raph jerked his chin in the direction of the couch.

"Sit down."

Leo looked at him, eye-ridge raised.

"What?"

Raph growled quietly.

"I ain' reappearing myself!" He barked, voice slightly hushed as to not wake anyone.

Leo huffed, sitting grudgingly. Satisfied, Raph went into the kitchen, setting a kettle of water on the stove. While he was no fan of tea, Raph knew it would do much to ease his brother's nerves.

Once he was sure that the water was on its way to boiling, he returned to the livingroom. Leo waited quietly on the couch, his legs stretched out slightly so that his feet rested on the edge of the coffee table that was in front of the couch, and his eyes were misted with thought. He snapped back to reality when Raph pulled the blanket off the back of the nearby armchair and, unfolding it, carefully draped it over him.

The hot-headed terrapin grabbed the TV remote off of the coffee table. He switched on the TV, turning the volume down low and starting to channel surf as he sat with a sigh, his free arm slinging over the back of the couch. Leo looked at him questioningly.

"What're you doing?" The leader asked slowly.

Raph glanced at him before his eyes flicked back to the TV, and he shrugged.

"Stayin' up with ya, what's it look like?"

"You don't have to." Leo quickly said. "Really, I'll be fine-"

"Shut it. Ya know I'm too stubborn t' listen t' ya."

The older of the two scowled.

"Raph-"

But the hot-tempered turtle was no longer paying attention, instead settling on a channel. He set aside the remote, and settled down fully into the cushions. The flickering light from the TV lit his face, revealing all traces of sleep had left him.

Leo could tell what was going on now. He'd done the same for his brothers from time-to-time, when they were kids. Whenever one of his little brothers had been too afraid to go to sleep after a nightmare, as well as refuse to share what their nightmares had been, Leo would stay with them and wait until they finally did.

So _that's_ what was going on.

With a huff, the blue-eyed turtle slumped, trying to enjoy the warmth of the blanket wrapped around him. His eyelids felt heavy, but he refused to let sleep overcome him.

The soft whistle of the kettle in the kitchen filled the air, and Raph stood, going to get the kettle off the stove. He returned a couple of minutes later, a mug of tea in his hands.

"'Ere." The hot-headed turtle grunted, holding it out to Leo. The older terrapin managed to get his hands free of the blanket, and he accepted the mug with a thankful nod.

"_Arigato, otouto_."

"No problem." Raph replied, sitting beside him once more.

Taking a careful sip as to not burn his lips on the steaming drink, the faint bitterness of herbs mingled with the taste of sweet honey on Leo's tongue. It eased his worried mind, and he grinned slightly at the familiar taste.

"Talk about nostalgia." He murmured. Raph smirked slightly.

"No kiddin'. I've never liked tha' stuff, but it always helped me sleep when ya'd give it t' me after-"

"A nightmare." Leo finished for him, smiling fondly as he watched the steam drift up from the cup. "I remember. You or Don or Mikey would come see me in the middle of the night, unable to calm down. And every time I'd make this tea."

"An' ev'rytime we'd feel betta'."

Leo laughed softly, nodding.

"_Hai_."

Silence fell, only the quiet voices of the TV filling the air. The two brothers sat on the couch, Leo sipping at his tea, and Raph watching the movie. After awhile, Leo began to feel his fatigue weigh heavy on him, so he set the now empty mug down on the coffee table before leaning back once more into the couch cushions. Raph slung his arm over his brother's shoulders, and Leo was gratefull for the contact, as it further ease his nerves.

"Ya feelin' better?" Raph asked, voice hushed.

Leo nodded, leaning into his little brother's side.

"_Hai. Arigato otouto_."

Raph nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Ya wanna talk 'bout yer nightmare?"

A tired chuckle left Leo.

"Taking a page from my book, hm? And here I thought I was the only one who could be sneaky enough as to wheedle out answers that I want."

Raph merely smirked in reply, waiting.

Leo sighed, resting his head on his brother's shoulder.

"It's just the usual. I have the same dream all the time."

"Nightmares ain' dreams, bro." Raph pointed out. Leo shrugged.

"True. It's always dark in the nightmare. I can never see anything, but I can certainly hear things. I hear you, Mike, Don, April and dad...saying that I've failed you all."

Raph's face fell, and concern flashed through his eyes when he saw Leo's face was now pale.

"You all...all say that it's my fault, that you guys are always getting hurt because of me, that I'm a horrible brother, a failure as a son, that you all..." Leo's voice cracked, and he paused, swallowing the lump in his throat and forcing himself to finish. "That you all hate me."

Sapphire eyes squeezed shut as Leo fought tears at the thought of the horrid nightmare.

"Awh bro...Oniichan." Raph muttered, turning to face Leo fully. He pulled his brother to his chest and embraced him.

The exhaustion that weighed heavy on Leo began to finally take its toll, and the eldest terrapin's shoulders began to wrack. Raph continued to hug him, hand rubbing soothing circles over his big brother's shell.

Shell, he had to start paying more attention. Leo had once said himself that he hid things, that as a leader, he had to shoulder his own burdens. So this was one of those 'burdens'...

"_Oniichan_, ya gotta stop keep in' all this stuff t' yerself..." Raph muttered. "Can't be healthy, bro."

Leo didn't reply, simply taking comfort from his brother's embrace. They remained as such for a long while, Raph simply holding Leo, hoping that he was at least in some way comforting to his brother. He wasn't use to being a soothing presence, but considering that the wracking in Leo's shoulders had stopped, the hot-head figured He was doin a pretty good job.

Raph was surprised when Leo suddenly slumped. From the leader's soft breaths, Raph could only assume that the older terrapin had fallen asleep. With a sigh, Raph shifted, pulling Leo into his lap before standing, holding him carefully to his plastron.

"Alrighty." The hot-head muttered to himself. "Let's get ya back t' yer futon, _oniichan_."

Making his way up the stairs, Raph went into Leo's room, approaching the futon. Out of curiosity, he shifted his grip on Leo and freed a hand, pressing his palm against the sheets. They were cold, no lingering trace of heat, showing Leo had vacated it long ago. Just how long had he been up?

With an irritated huff, Raph carefully deposited Leo onto the futon, pulling the thick blue blanket up over the sleeping terrapin.

"Sleep well, _oniichan_." Raph murmured, voice uncharacteristically soft. He took his brothers hand in one of his, squeezing it supportively. "We're all here fer ya bro. Mikey, Don, dad and me. Ya never failed us, tha's all jus' a stupid nightmare, it ain' true. It's 'cause of you tha' we're livin' such good lives, _oniichan_."

Leo didn't wake, but did seem to smile in his sleep. Raph smiled slightly.

"Ya ain' failed us, Leo. An' tha's th' truth."

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><p><strong>Japanese Translations!:<strong>

**Hai = Yes**

**Gomenasai = I'm Sorry/Sorry**

**Arigato = Thanks/Thank You**

**Otouto = Little Brother**

**Oniichan = Big Brother**

**Genki Desu = I Am Fine/I'm Fine**


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